Twisted Torment
by DigiExpert
Summary: Sometimes, darkness is one's worst enemy. Sometimes, it's the nightmares that haunt her sleep, the ones that make her think that the nightmare's fantasy is simply her reality.


**I keep posting things on dA and forgetting to post them here as well. This was a request by speedingturtle312 on dA that I completed. I was asked to give Kyouko nightmares, and so I did. Enjoy.**

Kyouko shook, rooted to her spot as she watched Homura deliver the final blow to the creature that stood before them. A barrage of bullets pierced the grey flesh, the tentacles flailing in pain. The head, humanoid in nature, coughed blue blood from its pale red lips, the black eyes giving away no secrets. Her stomach rolled, and she pursed her lips, determined not to vomit. As the creature fell, she turned, frantically looking for Sayaka's remains. Surely they were around here. Surely…

The barrier began to swirl and fade away, leaving the now trio back in the parking garage they had found themselves in. It was supposed to have been an easy battle. The aurora had been weak, and certainly, the creature had fought that way too. At first. Mami had been easily tossed aside, Kyouko along with her. Homura had covered for them, diverting attention away, but Sayaka had melee'd forward, unable to stand the idea of letting a creature so evil win. Kyouko had chased after her. She called and cajoled, swinging her spear about.

But she'd been too late.

Sayaka had been impaled through the chest by two of the tentacles, which had become razor sharp blades. Kyouko had seen her eyes go wide. Sayaka tried to yell, but she could only gurgle blood. Kyouko snapped inside. Her spear split into sections and she rushed forward, making her move. She couldn't see the other girls. She couldn't see the creature before her. All she could see was red. Everything was red. Her heart had pounded against her chest. Every slash, every hit, every one of them for Sayaka. It couldn't have gotten worse. It couldn't have.

But it had.

The two razor tentacles began to separate, tearing flesh apart. The sound was like nails on a chalkboard, and Kyouko covered her ears, wincing. She couldn't bear to watch, but she didn't dare close her eyes either. Sayaka's body had been ripped in two, bits of her flying in all directions. Kyouko had held her arms up protectively, trying to avoid the fallout. A piece of flesh had then fallen onto her arm. She had swung her arm around, trying to get rid of the piece, but it stuck in place. All it had taken was a glimpse of the flesh and her stomach churned. She had turned her head and vomited. She heaved heavily, gripping her stomach.

When she looked again, there had been Homura, braving forth. More shots had been heard, and she knew that Mami was assisting her. But all she had seen was the grenade that Homura tossed instead. She should have moved. She should have helped. But all she could do instead was wonder why.

_Sayaka… Sayaka… Sayaka!_

Kyouko shot up in bed, hand over her chest. She was breathing heavily, and her eyes darted around in the darkness. Something was out there. Something had to be. She gulped, her Soul Gem ring glowing in the darkness. Anger. Fear. Sadness. She'd destroy whatever was hiding amongst the shadows. She'd get revenge for Sayaka, even if it wasn't the same creature. Then she quickly realized that she wasn't in a parking garage, but a bedroom. A glance at the bedside clock showed 2:32 AM in calm, blue digital numerals.

A nightmare. It had only been a nightmare. Her chest tightened as she recalled the nightmare. Everything had started so well. Each of them had been confident, determined. They had been ready to win, and then Sayaka had been impaled and destroyed, torn apart by the creature's madness. Her stomach churned as she imagined the chunk of flesh landing on her arm. She forced herself to not get sick at the thought. She covered her mouth with her hand. Her body shook with the effort and she groaned.

"Kyouko?" called a groggy voice. A hand touched her arm gently and she jumped. Her heart beat rapidly; she could feel it pounding against her chest.

Kyouko's fists clenched until she recognized the voice as Mami's. She bit her lip, afraid to speak, least she crumble. She felt the bed shifted beneath her, and then arms embraced her from behind. That was all it took to shatter her fragile resolve. She buried her face against Mami's neck. Broken sobs tumbled forth as she held tightly to Mami. She grabbed fistfuls of Mami's nightshirt, clenching and unclenching her fists. "I…I…" But she couldn't finish her statement. She couldn't bring herself talk coherently.

Mami rested her head atop Kyouko's and hummed softly. Her fingers slipped through Kyouko's hair and down her backside. They caressed and patted, trying to calm Kyouko down. Kyouko sniffled and hiccupped as her sobs subsided. She rubbed at her eyes to wipe away the tears. She let Mami guide her back to the bed and she was thankful when Mami spooned against her, trying to keep her in a cocoon.

"You're safe, Kyouko," whispered Mami, echoing Kyouko's thoughts. She slipped her hand beneath Kyouko's neck and wrapped the other over Kyouko's chest.

_Safe… in bed… with Mami… it was a nightmare… a damn nightmare…_

Kyouko listened as Mami's breathing became even again. Her eyes darted about in the darkness, unable to let go of the fact that something might still be lurking there. She knew it was childish, and yet, she couldn't resist. She tried to sleep, but she wasn't sure if sleep was what she wanted. She focused her eyes on a spot on the wall, hoping that staring would tire her out.

When she next opened her eyes, she found herself staring down the barrel of a musket. Her eyes peered upward, somehow knowing exactly who she'd find holding it. She locked eyes with Mami and gasped. "Mami… why?" she asked, voice cracking.

Shoulders shaking, Mami offered a simple reply. "If you're dead, you can't suffer the same fate as Sayaka. I can't bear to watch you die the same way." She smiled half-heartedly.

Her tone tore at Kyouko's heart. _Maybe I can talk her out of it._ "Mami, shooting me isn't going to solve anything. You'll be alone again." She watched a fresh wave of tears fall and saw how badly Mami's hands shook as she attempted to keep a firm grasp on the musket.

"But I won't have to see you suffer."

"Shooting me means you'll watch me suffer," explained Kyouko calmly. "You'll see me die. Is that what you want?" She felt a bead of sweat trickle down her forehead. Mami was speaking nonsense, and she couldn't handle watching her suffer. Her arms ached to reach out and pull her close. If only she could deflect the musket. If only Mami's terrible aim allowed her to escape. She wanted to move, but her feet would not listen. They felt like lead. _C'mon… move. Move damnit!_

Mami smiled at her. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I love you." She aimed the musket just above Kyouko's chest.

"Mami-!"

Kyouko watched Mami's finger pull the trigger as if in slow motion. She tried to move, but could not. Her legs shook as she strained her muscles. She…

… Suddenly opened her eyes, starting at the ceiling. Her hand immediately went to the space her Soul Gem typically occupied, feeling desperately for the piece. She wasn't dead. There was no fucking way she was dead. Her fingers pressed against her skin, but could find no trace. She then realized that she wasn't dressed in her Puella Magi outfit. Her right hand immediately covered her left, feeling the warm metal of her ring. She breathed a sigh of relief.

As she calmed down, she quickly realized that Mami was nowhere to be found in the bed. Her eyes searched the bed and then the room. No sign. The sheets were ruffled, but they were cool to the touch. Surely… no. Kyouko shook her head. Another nightmare. That's all it had been. She crept to the edge of the bed, slowly standing. She couldn't take any chances. Kyouko held her breath and crept forward carefully.

When she was a few feet from the door, she heard footsteps outside. She dodged to the side and pressed her back against the wall. Without another thought, she quickly transformed into her Puella Magi outfit. Kyouko turned and faced the open door. She held her spear in front of her, eyes watching, waiting.

The footsteps became louder, closer. Kyouko gripped the handle of her spear tighter. _Just a little closer… a little closer…. Now!_ She leapt forward.

"Kyouko, what the hell?" shouted Mami as she jumped backwards trying not to impale herself upon the point.

Kyouko stumbled to a halt, nearly tripping. She looked at Mami. "I won't let you kill me again!" she shouted. She still wasn't if this was all a dream, or if it was reality. Better to risk it than to let it slide.

Mami held her hands up to show Kyouko she wasn't hiding anything. "This isn't a dream, Kyouko. You're awake. I'm not going to kill you. I've never killed you before. Put your weapon down." She whispered in a soft, soothing voice.

Cautiously, Kyouko lowered the spear. She kept her eyes locked with Mami. "Yeah? How do I know? How do I know that you won't try to kill me when I look away? You're just waiting for the right time, that's all."

Still keeping her hands in the air, Mami stepped closer to Kyouko. She stopped just as the tip of Kyouko's spear began to press against her shirt. "I'm not, Kyouko. I promise you. Please, put your spear down."

Kyouko began to shake. She didn't know what she should do. She looked down at her spear, and then back at Mami. All it would take would be one step, and she could impale Mami upon her spear. However, Mami wasn't attacking. Mami wasn't in her magical girl outfit. Mami had been the one to step so close. She felt conflicted. Her heart wanted to stop, but her brain told her not to. She couldn't make up her mind. "I…"

"It's okay. You're safe here. I won't let you go," whispered Mami, smiling softly.

In one brief second, Kyouko's Puella Magi outfit disappeared. Her eyes never left Mami's. "I don't… want to go back to sleep," she whispered softly. Her aggressiveness from moments ago was replaced with child-like fear. "I can't handle the nightmares anymore." A tear crept down her cheek, but Kyouko didn't seem to notice. She glanced back into the bedroom toward the bed and shivered.

Mami closed the gap between them, taking Kyouko's hand in her own. She intertwined her fingers together. "I have a better idea." She led Kyouko to the living room, and guided her to the couch. "Wait here."

Soft clattering sounds came from the kitchen. Kyouko stared out the window, looking at the crescent moon. She rested her head on her arm, staring into space. She jumped in surprised when Mami set a tray upon the coffee table. A white teapot rested in the middle, surrounding by two matching white teacups. Mami prepared the tea, and handed a cup to Kyouko before settling in beside the younger girl.

Kyouko rested her head against Mami's shoulder as she drank slowly. Usually she wasn't fond of tea, but tonight she found the warm liquid soothing as it coated her throat. Mami's fingers had entwined themselves with hers again, and she found the connection comforting.

Neither girl spoke. Words were unnecessary. The moon slowly moved across the sky, and the teapot was eventually emptied. As the sun rose across the sky, Kyouko drifted off to sleep again. Mami watched over her, intent on waking her if something happened. But for once during that long night, Kyouko slept peacefully, and did not dream.


End file.
